Important User Info You Refer To

What single thing? I agree that there is a lot of information in our handle collection of information. For me the most telling thing about the poster is what, if anything, they choose for a picture.

Wondering or well informed?

I was limiting my answer to only what was in the user profile block, as SavvyExacta asked, to assay if I want to know more of an individual. (Naturally the content of a specific answer is what sways any discussion, but that may not make me want to know more about the provider of the answer.) The picture a user selects to post with implies to me how serious, frivolous, egocentric, proud, passionate, playful, thoughtful that person believes they are. I deal with enough clowns already. I won't seek to know a clown that doesn't make me laugh, now the ones that do make me laugh...

"I was limiting my answer to only what was in the user profile block"

Me too.

He mentioned the user profile, but the question is,"What single thing do you tend to glance at when you want to learn more about a poster?"

Well, not exactly.

If you read the entire original post the question is put into the context of "the box to the left of each post."

"there's a lot of stuff squeezed into the box to the left of each post.

What single thing do you tend to glance at when you want to learn more about a poster?"

tcmtech

Guru
Join Date: Jun 2009

Location: South of Minot North Dakota

Posts: 6285

Good Answers: 586

...not only a first time user! I'm approaching 10 years on CR4, and I have no idea what that image is intended to illustrate! It appears as though there are supposed to be two words on the shirt front, but I can't begin to read them.

Of course I probably need to update my own avatar. It's probably not obvious to most viewers that my avatar is a photograph of honeycomb...

Holey honeycomb Batman. I thought your avatar was a radiator.

I think the notorious North Dakota tire burner's avatar is the new Joker.

More specifically, it's a photo of Brazefoil honeycomb, before brazing. The jagged brazefoil through the center of each cell makes it difficult to recognize as honeycomb. I tried twice to replace that photo/avatar just now, but failed both times...

Come on now, that's getting old.

http://cr4.globalspec.com/comment/1097837

I thought it was a sandbag wall.

Based on some of the responses we should consider doing "What is It: Avatar Edition"

Interesting idea. I'll try again to change mine...

NOPE!

I get a window saying "

You have encountered an error on our site. We're sorry for the inconvenience.

A transcript of this error has automatically been sent to our quality control group and the problem will be addressed.

Please hit the "Back" button on your browser and try your request again.

If the problem persists, please try again later.

-End-"

Perhaps it is because the original is too high a resolution. I'll try to reduce it...

OK, I got it to work. I made two changes: 1. I removed the original image in a separate step, and saved that change. 2. I reduced the original to 320x240, which was the lowest resolution I could produce, and then linked it with the Browse button.

This avatar shows an original product on the left, and the improved one on the right, which satisfied the customer's requests.

Yes, that seems to have , what the????????????????????????

Now , you've changed everyone's avatar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG!

Holy Animal! (I don't want to specify which, to avoid possibly offending)

On my machine it's not everyone, just you and me, at least in this thread. ...but I have no idea how that got onto your avatar! I made the changes on my User Info page, and did not even look at yours (at least not recently).

I'm gonna check another thread...

That's a gotcha !

I've hung my helmet up so I'm changing my avatar for the race car back to a former one.

It was easy enough to copy your avatar into my pictures and then just sneak it in.

Yep! Ya got me. Of course having had three failed attempts to change mine, I was really primed for the joke!

"Based on some of the responses we should consider doing "What is It: Avatar Edition"

That's been done a few times. I enjoyed this discussion in particular.

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/21785

Not only that, but some of us like to switch icons. (I know - I've had three too)

Your new one gives a whole different meaning than the last one.

Remember the past ones and sum them up and you start to get a picture of a person.

Simple, if you see a red star, then take noticed on your replies or else you be banned. Something tells me with that star - "hey! don't mess with the admin!"

No No No No! Mona Lisa is hand drawn. I am sure of it!

I'm with SE on this one. I pay more attention the their posts and comments.

1st I look at the purse -- J. Geils (1970) and others ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK6yfR701oQ&list=PL5Aiyb8aexjeYPZCyL8GDYuJwYEyOyZaF&index=17

I think I learn the most about a forum user when they post a question. Do they give enough details, so that a qualified engineer can actually answer the question? Do they follow up with answers that potential helpers ask? Is the question something I could find 1,853,583 answers in .012 seconds to if I Googled it myself?

Join date, to see if they have been around here for a while or just joined to ask a homework question. Then I look to see the name...if it's Lyn, then I just ignore it!

I glance at the ratio of GAs to posts, as a "peer reviewed quality index".

Lyn 3.9%
Solar Eagle 5.9%
Tom_Consulting 2.9%
Mike W 5.3%
WJMFIRE 8.1%
redfred 6.3%
*Don't mention Big Bang Theory's Dr Sheldon Cooper* Relativity PL 12.8%

I look at the data to the left and know nothing! Where is your Avatar?

If you do not socialise here you might get away with 12.8% of GA.

Can you explain Relativity to Ralf? I think he is still lost but not uninterested.

Ed Watts 8.3%, and this post will not change that as long as we round to only one decimal place. Like Mr. Ed (the horse), I never speak unless I have something to say.

"I never speak unless I have something to say"

...unlike me - where my friends tell me I like to talk a lot before I say anything...

Let's not leave out the insightful Anonymous Hero's 8.2%

But some tend to be more conversational than others, so that skews the ratio.

"I glance at the ratio of GAs to posts, as a "peer reviewed quality index".

Lyn 3.9%
Solar Eagle 5.9%
Tom_Consulting 2.9%
Mike W 5.3%
WJMFIRE 8.1%
redfred 6.3%
*Don't mention Big Bang Theory's Dr Sheldon Cooper* Relativity PL 12.8%..."

I would say that was more than a 'glance', more like an in-depth study.

Now that you have drawn our attention to it - to which I am indebted - my own ranking is 2.2% - pretty low by any standards - and worse my score should be eeen lower because some GA's are not deserved....IMHO

Which to my mind is indicative of the doubtful value of a GA - fun ! yes, but not much else.

Now if the name of the person awarding the GA was given, we would see who our fans are, or enemies if lots of OT's - if you see what I mean - all the fun of a chat room.

Since the info was specified as that in the BOX TO THE LEFT of each post, I'll admit that the first thing I note is the avatar-simply because it's the most prominent and eye catching.

I then look at where the poster indicates as his/her location since that MAY affect how the post is worded-if the location is accurate.

The best judgement of the poster's advice, however, is the length of time on the forum, and number of posts, but not necessarily "Good Answers", since that appears to be a judgement call.

I look at the chosen avatar,but do not place much value on it.

I give more credence to the content of their posts,allowing for the fact that sometimes

people do and say stupid things that are totally out of character.

"Light travels faster than sound.

That is why some people seem brilliant until they open their mouths."--Unknown

I look at the name then at the post. Not to be distracted from the other glamour. Its not who says it but what is being said!

There is a reason for "out of your mind" and "not in sight"!

Relativity PL shows us that the missing information is beneficial. The less you know about a poster the more you have to read to find out what he says.

"Relativity PL shows us that the missing information is beneficial. The less you know about a poster the more you have to read to find out what he says."

Clearly, to advance my credibility for those pictorially oriented, an avatar is required. As I am old and ugly, maybe a photo of my longstanding hero Bo Duke will suffice.

I tend to read the post first and if it seems confusing i will look at location to see if there is a clue there. English may be a second language, or, t'other side t pond. I try to write an answer that will be comprehensible to an inhabitant of the OP's locale. Of course if s/he's dinky di not much more'n a winknnod is needed.

Jim

I immediately look at the Icon/Name to see if it is someone I am familiar with. I know then what I can say and what I shouldn't, as each of us have an area we are a bit touchy about, and I've probably tapped into most of them by now.

If it is someone with an unfamiliar name/icon, I check Post and Good Answers to see if it is someone who primarily answers another topic area I don't read. Then, I can decide how derogatory I can be if the post seems inane. (I'm not a nice person)

As we all know - Anonymous means the poster is fair game for any snide remark.

A lot depends on what type of post I'm reading.

For most posts, a quick glance at the name and avatar tells me if this is a 'friend' I can trade friendly jabs with, or someone i should be more 'distanced and formal' with until i get to know him/her better.

When the original post is in the category I like to call "Are you TRYING to kill yourself and everyone at the worksite?!?!" I tent to look at the name, location, join date, and number of posts, so I can get a rough idea of where this person is, and how active they've been. When it's someone from a Land that Safety Forgot, who has just joined to ask if he can wire four Megavolt-level three-phase generators of varying power and frequencies together using only wire nuts, I shudder. When the OP is AP#1, I crawl under my desk and hide.

In many cases you can't tell anything because the information is not there.

Thank you all for your feedback. I really appreciate the time taken to leave your thoughts.

Sounds like people are interested in GA percentages. Let me know if you want me to do some analysis and share it. Just for fun, of course!

Limiting my answer to the information in the box to the left of each post, I stand by my answer as avatar first consciously or not.

As my defense I noted that this afternoon Lyn's avatar was different (whether by his choice or otherwise) from earlier this morning, when I first replied.

Admittedly one's avatar is not a deciding factor in judging the quality of the answer to a question, but being graphic, it IS one of, if not the first thing observed.

I seldom change my avatar and the red barn was mine before I changed it to a race car.

I've quit driving race cars and I still have the red barn. It has some historical significance as it was built around 1900 as has not been altered, except to accommodate a motor car sometime around 1920.

The temporary change to the honeycomb avatar was a trick played on dkwarner.

I sometimes wonder about the 'name' - why was it chosen?...and the pic.

I Google interesting 'addresses' to pinpoint exactly where...

...don't worry, I won't be calling.

PS: Horace' is a nickname I was given by our Group Scoutmaster at a summer scout camp circa 1948 - and it stuck!

Apparently I was always hanging around the grub tent for handouts. It comes from the Dandy comic character - Hungry Horace.

I can't remember why I added 40 to it.

If I have the urge to look into a specific User, I look at everything... everything to the left (avatar, group membership, join date, location, activity) plus their signature line, and any data they've provided in their profile... but most importantly - their prior posts... some have a history of systemic laziness or one-sided use of the forum... all take no give. And, well - sometimes that impacts how I engage with them.

Location is interesting to know when the user chooses to include it because oftentimes it helps us provide context to the question or the response.

I chose Brave Sir Robin in part because I've always enjoyed the irreverent humor from that troupe and in particular if 'danger reared its ugly head, I can bravely turn my tail and fled'. As anonymous posters here, if we get "in over our heads" we can simply "walk away" with whatever shred of self-dignity that we can muster. I'm not referring to the AP trolls, but the fact that we can all remain anonymous behind our avatars.

I believe I have posted at least one posting with a picture of me, which is basically meaningless unless you already know who I am or you have access to every driver's license photo, then you might be able to actually find out my true identity. Not that I'm really trying to remain anonymous, but there can be good reasons to not make it 'easy' for someone to track you down.